


On Parting, Forget Me Not

by AsheTarasovich (natalieashe), Boffin1710



Series: Secret Garden [7]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Gardens & Gardening, M/M, No James in This Story, Q Has a Cat, Snark, Things They Don't Say
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 09:59:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10511460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natalieashe/pseuds/AsheTarasovich, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boffin1710/pseuds/Boffin1710
Summary: Q is no stranger to Alec leaving on missions, but this one will be harder than most.





	

**Author's Note:**

> “If I had a single flower for every time I think of you, I could walk forever in my garden.” – Claudia

Q was awake. He had tried not to be, for… oh at least three hours… but sleep wasn’t something he could force. His bedmate, however, had sunk into a dead sleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow and was currently sprawled on his stomach, sending muffled snores into his pillow. 

Q shuffled upright into a seated position earning a glare from Amelie who had been nesting in the warm space between her human's legs. He gave the spoiled Queen of the Flat the finger, just because in his current state it was mildly satisfying to be annoyed at someone else, rather than himself. 

Easing out of bed and into Alec’s discarded t-shirt, Q quietly padded down the hall, shadowed by the silent disgruntled feline. The kitchen was lit only by the light from the fridge as Q pulled out cheese, grapes, and the remains of the evening’s take out. 

“Why him? Why now?” Amelie meowed at him, and he fed her a tiny corner of cheddar. “What are we going to do without him?”

Q sat at the table mutilating grapes before he finally would eat them Amelie insisted on being in the forefront of his attention perching on a chair next to him And when she wasn't trying to bat his grapes off the table, she was being very vocal about him not sharing the cheese with her fast enough. 

"You are not helping matters, you cheese whore." He snarled at her. "Supposed to be comforting me not being a glutton."

The faint snoring from the bedroom stopped. Q froze looking to the stairs. Either Alec had rolled over, and the snoring would start again soon. Or else he rolled over and realised he was alone in the bed and was awake. Meaning he would come looking for him soon. Q resumed murdering grapes by vivisection and as he expected the shadowy form of Alec appeared in the kitchen doorway. One hand pushing the hair back away from his eyes and the other still tugging up the pyjama pants he had retrieved off the bedroom floor. 

"Why aren't you in bed," he muttered reaching to steal a grape from his partner. "And what the fuck have you done with these grapes." Alec stopped briefly as he passed Q placing a kiss on top of his head on his way to the refrigerator himself. 

"Couldn't sleep. Suffocating," Q muttered, ducking his head to avoid Alec's knowing glance. "Didn't want to wake you so thought I'd grab a snack and some air."

Alec emptied the milk bottle into a saucepan and ignited the gas, setting the pan on the hob to heat. He didn't say anything while he broke dark chocolate into the pan, stirring silently while he waited for Q to continue.

"I was hijacked by the grapes on my way to the garden." Q peeled another, reducing it to a watery lump, that he tossed onto the counter. His appetite had fled, replaced by a lump in his throat that he couldn't seem to swallow when he looked at his partner's broad back. Alec's arm moved steadily, letting the chocolate infuse into the milk. Waiting.

"We'll need to get a gardener. Someone to keep all your greenery from turning... brownery. I don't know what to do with all of the plants, Alec. What will I do with it all?"

Alec poured the hot chocolate into two mugs and dropped a generous handful of mini marshmallows into Q's. "The garden will look after itself, Q" Alec chuckled, gesturing to the kitchen door with the mugs. "But if it will help you sleep, let's head out there and I can give you some pointers, while we drink this."

Amelie led the way as soon as the door was opened. It was a warm night and the moths and midges danced around the outdoor lights. "I hope you realise we're going to get eaten alive out here due to your insomnia?" Alec teased gently. Mugs on the table, seated on the garden sofa, he pulled Q down onto his lap. "Let's talk about this."

“This..” Q waved a hand at Alec’s greenery, “or this…” waving the same hand between himself and Alec. “If it's the latter… well… you know.”

“How about both and we will see where the conversation leads on its own.” Q squirmed awkwardly. These conversations were something that he and Alec avoided with a mastered skill. Snark, innuendo, arguing, avoidance, childish, petty, sticky notes on the refrigerator, Amelie as a go between… they were masters at it all. Actually carrying on a conversation of importance was not their style. 

Q crawled off Alec’s lap and wandered over to something green that he had no clue what it was other than it was a vine, blooming with orange flowers. “You know I wasn't looking. Perfectly fine on my own.” turning his back on Alec. “Then you just followed me home, like a stray dog lost out in the cold.” Q sighed and continued to wander the garden. Alec just let him ramble knowing this was Q’s way of processing things. “You never left then and I am such a soft touch for strays.”

Amelie wound herself around his ankles seeking attention from her human. Q picked her up burying his face in her fur. “How did he manage to weasel his way inside my walls Amelie? Looks like it's going to be you and me again girl.”

"It's a lucky stray that finds a home, Q. Somewhere he doesn't want to move along from. Someone." Alec sipped his hot chocolate, leaning back and stretching out his long legs. He smiled at Q cradling the cat, whispering in her ear. Alec couldn't remember a time he had felt so content. He had found his place in the world with what amounted to a family. But this little corner of their world was a far cry from their reality.

"That one to your right, the one with the blue flowers? Eve bought us that when she found out we'd officially moved in together. Do you remember?" 

Q wandered past it, Amelie tucked in the crook of his arm. As he passed he trailed his fingers over the silvery green frond-like leaves. He honestly didn't recall the plant, but he recalled the evening. He had invited Moneypenny over for dinner, and Q had gotten extremely drunk, too much Dutch courage needed to admit to his oldest friend that he was now cohabiting officially with the most irresponsible of double-o agents. 

A few steps further into his circuit of the garden Q brushed his fingertips through a fragrant bushy stand of lavender and rosemary. The combined fragrances permeated the air at the gentle disturbance, and allowing Amelie to jump down, he then waved both hands through the purple flowers. "I love these. Always remind me of..."

"My favourites too," Alec said, reaching out a hand, but Q wandered past him.

"All of this... It's all you, Alec. Before you came, it was a dank, mouldy smelling yard, and now, it's perfect. What if I can't keep it this way? What if little by little it starts to feel your absence and bits of it die off, so when you come back there's nothing left?" Q wasn't talking about the garden. He needed Alec to understand what he wasn't able to verbalise. To be parted for so long... What if it changed things between them?

“What happens to all of this through the winter while you are gone? During the cold dark days. How am I going to manage that?” His brain and emotions were both betraying him. Both talking loudly at the same time… damn them. 

Alec might not be good for him. No, Alec wasn’t good for him. The analytical part of his brain reminded him of that fact frequently and loudly, repeatedly. 

But Alec was right for him, in so many good and bad ways. And that was an entirely different discussion to have with his analytical self someday.

“A week or two, Amelie and I can manage that, but 6 months...,” Q wandered by him again and this time Alec managed to snag him by the arm as he passed by.

“Q! Stop!” Alec started but then soften pulling the younger man into his arms. “It's going to be alright.”

"It's going to be a very long time, with no contact at all. Deep cover, Alec," Q's eyes looked dark in his pale face, pleading with Alec to understand without him having to explain. "I won't know where you are. M's orders."

"I think, what you're trying to say Quartermaster, is that you'll have no way to keep an eye on me, or get me out of trouble." Alec chuckled. 

Q punched him in the shoulder. "I have spent almost a year hauling your arse out of hot water, repeatedly. Forgive me if I'm wondering how I'll fill my time with you gone." The words were brave, and Q could have possibly been convincing if his voice hadn't cracked on the final word. He buried his face in Alec's chest, breathing heavily with the effort of not giving in to the sobs that were trying to force their way out.

Q took a long deep breath as he reached up pushing his glasses back on his nose before stepping back slightly from Alec. “Well you do have to admit you tend to get yourself in all sorts of haphazard issues out in the field.”

“Q, I’ll be fine.”

“Well don’t come whimpering to me if you blow your arse up out in the field.” What his heart really wanted to say was don’t drift away from me, don’t forget me, still need me when you come back. But that in reality, those words would never be spoken between them. “You’ll probably blow yourself up and bits and pieces of you will be scattered all over the countryside for wild animals to devour.”

“So sentimental, Quartermaster,” Alec couldn’t help but snort at the Q exaggerated when he was flustered. 

“You wanker!” Q punched him in the shoulder again trying to pull away but manage to squirm out of Alec’s grip on him. 

"Ok, I promise not to become animal snacks, if you promise me something also." Alec stood a little way off, giving Q space to continue his pacing. The constant wandering often drove Alec mad, but it calmed Q, so Alec wouldn't interfere.

"What?" Q eyed him suspiciously. Alec rarely asked him for promises, he knew it made Q uncomfortable to commit to anything in their uncertain world. More so if Alec, Q's anchor, was not around to offer steadying pragmatic reassurance. And six months was a long time to be gone. A lot could happen in six months. People change, move on.  
"Don't avoid this place." Alec indicated the garden with a slow sweep of his hand. "It's as much yours as it is mine. It wouldn't exist without you. And don't give me any shite about it being empty without me. I know you'll miss me, don't need to get soppy about it." Smirking Alec returned to his position on the garden sofa, waiting for Q to recover his snark. 

It took Q a moment, but then the determined jut of his chin was back, along with folded arms and a feigned scowl. "Too bloody cocky, Alec." He nodded towards a white flowered shrub. "Next, you'll be telling me those are bloody forget-me-nots!"

"That's a viburnum. Forget-me-nots are over there. The little blue ones with the yellow eyes."

"Don't take the piss, Alec," Q growled. "You can grow a garden anywhere, put down roots anywhere, with anyone. No need to keep thinking you have to come back here for the sake of the flowers!"

“Will you just bloody come sit down here with me for a minute,” Alec tried to snag him again as he wandered close to the sofa but Q shook him off. “Q, I’ll contact you when I can even if it just to let you know I am alive and the exploded pieces of me are not getting eaten by wild vermin.”

“You’re taking the piss out of me again, Alec!”

“Come here, you little shite!” Alec managed to grab a handful of Q’s shirttail as he wandered close again and pulled him back onto the sofa next to him again. “Q. It’s going to be alright no matter what that genius brain of yours is conjuring up inside your head.”

“I so hate you right now, Alec.” Q refused to make eye contact with him, mainly because his snark would probably give over to tears.

“Feeling is mutual, Quartermaster.” Alec placed a kiss on top of the dark curls pressed underneath his chin, pulling Q tight into his side.

Q closed his eyes and concentrated on Alec's heartbeat, steady and strong, just like his partner. 

Partner. 

It was something they had never openly decided, it had just developed naturally. Dates that were never really called dates, Alec moving in, first to the spare room and then to Q's bed. Two lives slowly intertwining, aligning, becoming something along the lines of a relationship. As much as could be managed with the dangerous lives they led.

"You should sleep Alec. Early morn start." Q murmured.

"I have a 9 hour flight to sleep." Alec stroked his fingers through Q's dark curls, resting at the base of Q's neck. He gently massaged the tense muscles of Q's shoulder. "If you need to stay out here a while, then this is where I need to be also. I'll miss this... being nibbled by the night bugs."

Q curled into Alec trying to absorb as much of his body heat as he listened to the steady heartbeat that throbs beneath his ear. He struggled to push away the haunting thought that the garden would be so empty after tomorrow morning when Alec left for his mission. 

Alec's finger drifted to Q's neck and teased at the at the spot just below his ear and caressed his jaw line. The silence between them drown out the sounds of the city around them narrowing their thoughts to the feel of each other. 

The moment was interrupted by a snarl from Amelie and a sudden screech from the other side of the garden. "Oh I don't think so you nasty feline. You are not bringing a toad into the flat tonight." Q snapped at her, jumping up to defrog the prissy cat. Alec laughed and realized how much he would miss the antics of Q and his cat over the next few months. 

"How about you and I find somewhere inside to deposit Amelie frogless? And.. then I think there is a comfy bed in our room just waiting for us and a few hours of sticky perverted sex, Quartermaster." 

"You don't think frogs in our bedroom is romantic?" 

"Far from it, Q. Besides I need something to remember while I am freezing my arse off far away from here."

Q stirred when his alarm sounded at 7am. He rolled over and glared at it, then sat up with a curse just as Alec came back into the bedroom towelling off his hair.

"I thought you could do with an extra hour of sleep. We didn't do a whole lot of that last night." Alec smirked and dropped the damp towel into Q's lap. He tilted Q's chin upward with one finger to press a kiss to Q's lips. "We can drive in together later. Q-branch won't miss you for a morning."

"I can't, I have..."

"You can. R is covering for you." Alec dragged the duvet off his lover. "Shower, and dress. Breakfast out, I think. Time to talk, and just be."

Q swallowed hard and swung his legs out of bed. He wasn't sure he had the appetite for breakfast, but this was Alec's way of making a memory to take with him. He would force the eggs and bacon he normally devoured down his throat if it made Alec happy. By the time Q came out of the bathroom Alec was dressed and silently checking over his kit. Q pulled on the nearest shirt and trousers and sat quietly on the bed, waiting.

Q was still sitting on the bed, shoes and socks beside when Alec came in carrying his coat. “Too cold for breakfast in bare feet, Q.” lying his coat down and shoving his sock into his hands that lay in his lap. Q pulled his socks, shoes, and coat on and followed Alec out the door to the Range Rover grabbing his messenger bag as he went. The ride to their favourite breakfast place passed in silence, Q staring out the side window as the streets of London passed. The city was beginning to awaken for the day, becoming active and busy with people and traffic.

Breakfast passed in silence also. Q picked at his food. Alec occasionally reached across the table to squeeze his hand. Q tried to give him a normal smile but the approaching time for Alec to leave was weighing heavily on him. Alec leaving for a mission was not a new occurrence between them but this one was a minimum of six months with little to no contact. This was the first long-term mission Alec had been on since he had taken up residence in Q’s flat.

“I’ll give you the keys to the Range Rover when we get to the parking garage, but you have to promise me one thing while I’m gone,” Alec hesitated for a moment until Q finally looked up from where he had been staring into his cup of tea he was clutching for dear life with both hands. “You either drive it into work or you call for a company driver. No riding the tube!” pointing a finger at the Quartermaster.

“But I…”

“No but about it at all Q. You’ll get yourself kidnapped off the tube and walking home. Just drive yourself or call for a driver for me please. One less thing for me to worry about while I’m gone.”

"Fine," Q nodded once and rattled his cup back into its saucer. The cooling tea provided little comfort.

Alec checked his watch and grimaced. "Time to go, Q." He waved the server over and settled the bill while Q retrieved their coats. Alec took Q's from his fumbling fingers and helped him into it, settling it onto his shoulders, with a reassuring squeeze. "Come on."

Silence again. Alec cast concerned glances across the car whenever he stopped at a light or paused at a junction, but Q was quiet, distant. It reminded Alec of the mental space he retreated to sometimes when he was about to face something difficult. 

"Q, you aren't to camp out here for days on end either." Alec locked the car and held out the keys. After a moment Q opened his hand and Alec let them drop onto his palm. Alec curled his large hand around Q's slim fingers. "Amelie needs you and I'll be cross if you forget about our feline princess."

Agent and Quartermaster strode into MI6 together mid morning in step together, agent with a hand pressed to the small of his Quartermaster's back. They parted ways when they arrived at MI6, Alec took a lift up to M's office after giving Q's shoulder a gentle squeeze in parting Q took a lift down to Q Branch. 

Q went to his workstation ignoring all of his team for the moment who were seeking his attention with issues and things needing signed off on. Logging in, he began to research for the upcoming mission he was handling for 009. A cuppa appeared at his elbow as if it was meant to be there. 

After a while, team members began to approach again and he delved right into the typical day's activities. Although, it wasn't a typical day. Alec was heading out. 

An hour later, Alec appeared in Q Branch seeking out R to get his kit for his mission. Some of the kit he would take with him, but since it was a long term mission other needed things would be supplied by outpost branches. 

"... they'll expect you to check in three days from now, 006. The rest of your Intel will be waiting for you. Good luck out in the field 006." 

"Could I see you in my office for a moment, 006?" Q called out to Alec as he and R were finishing up going over his kit. 

"Of course, Quartermaster."

Alec entered and carefully set his kit down while Q locked the door and activated the privacy settings on his office. They wouldn't be disturbed. A few in the outer office knew about the relationship between the two men, and would discreetly distract others who wanted their Quartermaster while their brief parting took place.

They stood in silence for a few moments, the weight of it hanging between them, until Alec pulled Q into his arms. "Fuck protocol," he muttered as he claimed Q's mouth in a desperate crushing kiss that Q returned with fervour. Alec's fingers tangled in Q's hair, his other hand pressing into the small of Q's back to eliminate any space between them. Q clung to Alec's shirt and didn't give a fuck that his glasses were dislodged, the lower edge of the lens digging painfully into his cheek. When they stepped apart Q's eyes were moist, a fact he disguised by resettling his glasses.

"Come back," Q said gruffly. He cleared his throat. "Preferably with your stupid arse in one piece."

Alec smiled and cupped Q's jaw, stroking a thumb gently over Q's kiss-swollen lips and ignoring the tears that clumped his young lover's lower lashes. "Always try my best, Quartermaster. I know how much you adore this arse." At last, a flicker of a smile from Q. "And you, don't go anywhere. I need you to come back to."

Alec departed on his mission and Q distracted himself with the everyday chaos of Q Branch until Moneypenny appeared at his door early evening with her coat on heading out for the evening. "Time to go home Quartermaster."

"But I have kit to get ready for 008's mission to Paraguay." Not even looking up from the bits and pieces he had scattered in his desk that were entertaining his hands. 

"Q... you and I both know 008 is not going out for three days. Besides I promised Alec that I would make a valid attempt to try to get you out of here at least a few nights a week before midnight."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself Moneypenny." Q protested, finally turning around to face her with a glare. 

"You and I both know you are a bloody idiot and will avoid going back to your flat as much as possible." Q turned his back on her again and continued to work. "I'm not moving from your office until you pack up your things and go. You can't win Q. I can wait you out."

"Fine!"

"I'll walk out with you." Knowing as soon as she turned her back on him he would go back to work and ignore going home. Q huffed at her and rolled his eyes, but began to shut things down, pack up, and grabbed his coat. 

Moneypenny linked her arm through his and the headed towards the security exit, giving him a peck on the cheek before they parted. "You can do this Q. Time will pass quickly and Alec will be home before you know it." 

Amelie was waiting at the door for him when he got home, curling around his feet wanting attention and food. The flat otherwise was silent. Alec wasn't there and wasn't going to be there for a long time. Q ached inside and it felt as if the flat ached also without Alec in it. 

Q scooped up Amelie, butting his face in her fur. "What are we going to do with him gone, Princess. How are we going to keep his plants and presence alive?"

Amelie meowed and wriggled so Q let her down, wandering into the kitchen to open a pouch of cat food. "You might not miss him now, you fickle feline, but just wait until your treat box is empty. Alec is the only one who remembers to restock it."

Q left her to her supper and went to the bedroom to shower and change into pyjamas. He avoided looking at the huge bed. It was too daunting. Instead he turned on the en suite shower and stepped under the hot stream.

He stood there until the water began to cool, then quickly washed and wrapped a towel around his slim hips. Turning to the washbasin to shave he stopped and grinned.

There, in the fogged mirror, there was a scrawled message. 

Forget Me Not

"Alec, you wanker. As if I could."


End file.
